Stapler



Jan. 28, 1964 w. o. THOMPSON STAPLER Original Filed May 16. 1957 IN VENTOR. WM BM? 0. THWMP 50w A. 7' TORNE Y United States Patent 3,119,112STAPLER Wilbur 0. Thompson, 815 S. 2nd St, De Kalb, Ill. on tinuatian ofabandoned application Ser. No. 659,521,

May 16, 1957. This application Dec. 23, 1959, Ser- No. 2,319

6 Claims. (Ql. l-3) This application is a continuation of my copendingapplication, Serial No. 659,521, filed May 16, 1957 and now abandoned.

This invention relates to staplers, and is more particularly concernedwith a stapler of improved design having the staples in the strip andthe striker blade for application thereof arranged at 45 to thelongitudinal center line of the device to enable applying staples on thefold line of a pamphlet with much greater ease and facility and withoutnecessitating any drastic change in its dimensions or in its generaldesign and construction otherwise.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying dra ing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a stapler made in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing thestapler substantially full size;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2 showing the lower portion inlongitudinal section on the line 33 thereof;

P16. 4 is a plan view or" a portion of a strip of staples, shownapproximately double size, and

PEG. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the kind of operation forwhich this stapler is especially designed, although it will soon appearthat its special design does not interfere with its being used for otherstapling generally.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 6 designates the staplerof my invention having the striker blade 7 thereof and the staples 8 ina strip in a magazine in the cover 9 arranged at 45 to the longitudinalcenter line ab of the stapler. Depressions 10 in the anvil 1-1. on thebase 12 for clinching the ends of the legs of the staples in the usualway are also arranged on a 45 line in register with striker blade 7.This is all to enable much easier application of staples on the foldline cd of a pamphlet 13, as shown in FIG. 5, without sacrificing uiy ofthe staplers usefulness for the usual ordinary stapling. Indexprojections 14 and 15 may be provided on opposite sides of the cover 9on the 45 line e to facilitate placing the stapler more accurately inproper position across the fold line c-d, although a similar result canbe obtained by providing a 45 index mark on top of the head 16, asindicated at 3 in FIG. 5, corresponding precisely to the position ofstaple 3 in FIG. 5, or, if desired, both the index projections 14l5 andthe index mark 8 may be provided. The cover 9 is pivoted in the usualway at 1-7 with respect to a supporting bracket ll; provided on the base12, and a leaf spring 19', fixed to the base 12 at one end, as at 20,slidably engages the bottom of the cover 9 and magazine 29 and normallyholds the cover raised as shown, the cover being arranged to bedepressed by hand pressure on head 16, the striker 7 being operated atthe end of the down-stroke to shear off the end staple 8 from the stripof staples and apply it in the usual way, the spring there-afterreturning the cover to its normal retracted position.

Very little change in the construction of the conventional stapler isnecessary to incorporate the present invention, as can easily be seen inFIGS. 2 and 3. 21 designates the fixed end plate of the magazine 29which can Patented Jan. 28, lllfi l be of any suitable conventionaldesign, having in this case a guide rod 22 extending lengthwise thereofinside the cover 9 and rigidly connected at its front end to a verticalshear plate 23 disposed in closely spaced fixed parallel relationship toa fixed vertical guide plate 24, both plates being disposed at an angleof 45 to the center line ab and providing a guideway 25 therebetween inthe vertical plane of line ef for operation therein of the lower endportion of the striker blade 7. Thus, the follower plate 26, which isguided, as indicated at 27, on red 22, and is urged forwardly by thecoiled compression spring 23 mounted on the rod 22 and caged between theend plate 21 and follower plate 26, holds the strip of staples 8 inengagement with guide plate 24-, so that the endm-ost staple will besheared oh upon each operation of the stapler. The cover 9 is swingableup out or" the way to afford access to the magazine 29 for insertion ofa strip of staples, in the usual .way. The

staples forming the strip 8 are cemented together in the usual Way, theonly difference from the conventional strip of staples for theconventional stapler being that each staple is disposed in a plane at 45to the longitudinal center line g-h of the strip, as indicated in FIG.4. The individual staples may be of the same length as the conventionalstaples, or longer if desired. The strip of staples is guided in themagazine 29 by slidable engagement of the ends of the legs of thestaples on longitudinally extending shoulders 39, so that the 45positioning of the staples in the strip does not affect the accuracy ofoperation at all, the striker blade '7 striking the end-most staple ineach and every operation in precisely the same Way.

In operation, the stapler 6 is placed at an angle of 45 to the top orbottom edges of the paper in a pamphlet 13, as seen in full lines inFIG. 5, and shifted laterally to bring the index projections l4'l5 onthe cover 9 in register with the fold line cd, or to bring the indexmark 3 on the head 16 on said line, whereupon the head 16 is struck toapply the staple 3. A repetition of this operation at the other end ofthe stapler, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 5, finishes the job,and it is obvious both staples are easily applied without any need forfolding the paper in order to get the stapler in position. The finishedpamphlet is therefore free of objectionable creases. The stapler can beused for ordinary stapling with just as much convenience as anyconventional stapler, so the present invention adds greatly to theusefulness of these devices. There is very little, an additional costinvolved in the manufacture of this stapler and its strips of staples ascompared with the ordinary devices and the ordinary strips of staplestherefor.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I. claim:

1. In a portable, hand-operable stapler, adapted for use with preformedstaples, a base on which an anvil is provided, a top member in which astriker blade is reciprocable vertically relative to a horizontal staplemagazine in said top member to apply staples by cooperation with theanvil, means defining a vertical guide-way in said top member for saidstriker blade at an angle of 45 to the vertical plane of said topmember, said magazine having straight flat parallel side walls havingsmooth inner faces, said magazine being adapted to receive a strip ofstaples of U-forrn that are all of a width greater than the spacebetween said side walls and cemented together in face to facerelationship with all of the top portions of the staples disposed in thesame plane and extending at a 45 angle to the longitudinal centerline ofthe strip and with all of the legs of the staples at each side of thestrip in alignment with one another and disposed in the same plane toprovide a staple strip which is flat on its top and has continuousparallel side walls, said strip of staples being adapted to be disposedin the magazine with the side walls of the strip adjacent the innerfaces of the side walls of the magazine and with the foremost staple ofthe strip vertically aligned with the 45 vertical guide-way in said topmember, and means in the magazine adapted for feeding the staple striptoward the striker blade guideway, and the inner faces of the side wallsof the magazine through contact with the flat side walls of the staplestrip operating to guide the strip in its movement to prevent wedging ofthe strip in the magazine and to assure presentation of the foremoststaple in the strip to the guide-way in vertical alignment therewith.

2. For use with a pamphlet the several rectangular pages of which are tobe stapled on a median fold line parallel to the opposed longitudinaledges of the pages, a portable, hand-operable stapler adapted for usewith preformed staples comprising an elongated base that is short inrelation to the Width of the pages of the pamphlet from the fold line toeither longitudiani edge, said base having an anvil thereon at one endadapted to be disposed under the pamphlet on said fold line, anelongated cover that is shorter than said base and pivoted at its oneend relative to the other end of the base to swing downwardly at itsfree end over the pamphlet to stapling position, a magazine in the coveradapted to receive a strip of staples slidable therein toward the freeend of the cover, and a striker blade reciprocable in the cover by meansof a hand operable head to apply the staples one at a time to thepamphlet by cooperation with the anvil, the striker blade, foremoststaple in the strip, and anvil being all in a common vertical planecoincident with the aforesaid fold line of the pamphlet and at an angleof approximately 45 with respect to the longitudinal center line of thestapler cover and base to permit approximately 45 angular disposition ofthe latter relative to said fold line at either end of the pamphlet.

3. A portable, hand-operable stapler as set forth in claim 2 includingindex marks on opposite sides of the cover disposed in the verticalplane of the striker blade, foremost staple in the strip, and anvil andarranged to be aligned vertically over the fold line of the pamphletbefore the staple is applied to insure accuracy in stapling on saidline.

4. A portable, hand-operab1e stapler as set forth in claim 2 includingan index mark on top of the striker head disposed in the vertical planeof the striker blade, foremost staple in the strip, and anvil andarranged to be aligned vertically over the fold line of the pamphletbefore the staple is applied to insure accuracy in stapling on saidline.

5. In a portable, hand-operable stapler adapted for use with preformedstaples, a base on which an anvil is provided, a top member in which astriker blade is reciprocable vertically relative to a horizontal staplemagazine in said top member to apply staples by cooperation with theanvil, means defining a vertical guide-way in said top member for saidstriker blade at an angle of 45 to the vertical plane of said topmember, said magazine having straight flat parallel side walls havingsmooth inner faces, said magazine being adapted to receive U-shapedstaples in the magazine with the side portions thereof adjacent theinner faces of the side walls of the magazine and with the foremoststaple vertically aligned with the striker blade in the 45 verticalguide-way in said top member, and means in the magazine for feeding thestaples toward the striker blade guide-way.

6. In a portable, handoperable stapler adapted for use Wit 1 preformedstaples, an elongated base, an anvil adjacent one end of the base anddisposed at a 45 angle to the longitudinal centerline thereof, anelongated top member having a staple magazine longitudinally therein,one end of said top member being pivotally secured to that end of thebase remote to the anvil, a vertical guide-way in the top member at thatend disposed above the base anvil, said guide-way disposed at a 45 angleto the longitudinal centerline of the top member and in angularcoincidence vertically with the anvil, a striker blade recip rocal insaid guide-way in opposition to said anvil, and means actinglongitudinally of said magazine adapted for moving staples thereintoward the guide-way; whereby the base member may be positioned beneatha stack to be sta led at a 45 angle to the longitudinal length thereofand staples may be applied in longitudinal alignment with the length ofthe stack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,444,489 Woodaman Feb. 6, 1923 1,811,060 Obstfeld June 23, 19311,989,769 Obstfeld Feb. 5, 1935

1. IN A PORTABLE, HAND-OPERABLE STAPLER, ADAPTED FOR USE WITH PREFORMEDSTAPLES, A BASE ON WHICH AN ANVIL IS PROVIDED, A TOP MEMBER IN WHICH ASTRIKER BLADE IS RECIPROCABLE VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO A HORIZONTAL STAPLEMAGAZINE IN SAID TOP MEMBER TO APPLY STAPLES BY COOPERATION WITH THEANVIL, MEANS DEFINING A VERTICAL GUIDE-WAY IN SAID TOP MEMBER FOR SAIDSTRIKER BLADE AT AN ANGLE OF 45* TO THE VERTICAL PLANE OF SAID TOPMEMBER, SAID MAGAZINE HAVING STRAIGHT FLAT PARALLEL SIDE WALLS HAVINGSMOOTH INNER FACES, SAID MAGAZINE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A STRIP OFSTAPLES OF U-FORM THAT ARE ALL OF A WIDTH GREATER THAN THE SPACE BETWEENSAID SIDE WALLS AND CEMENTED TOGETHER IN FACE TO FACE RELATIONSHIP WITHALL OF THE TOP PORTIONS OF THE STAPLES DISPOSED IN THE SAME PLANE ANDEXTENDING AT A 45* ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINE OF THE STRIP ANDWITH ALL OF THE LEGS OF THE STAPLES AT EACH SIDE OF THE STRIP INALIGNMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND DISPOSED IN THE SAME PLANE TO PROVIDE ASTAPLE STRIP WHICH IS FLAT ON ITS TOP AND HAS CONTINUOUS PARALLEL SIDEWALLS, SAID STRIP OF STAPLES BEING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED IN THEMAGAZINE WITH THE SIDE WALLS OF THE STRIP ADJACENT THE INNER FACES OFTHE SIDE WALLS OF THE MAGAZINE AND WITH THE FOREMOST STAPLE OF THE STRIPVERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH THE 45* VERTICAL GUIDE-WAY IN SAID TOP MEMBER,AND MEANS IN THE MAGAZINE ADAPTED FOR FEEDING THE STAPLE STRIP TOWARDTHE STRIKER BLADE GUIDE-WAY, AND THE INNER FACES OF THE SIDE WALLS OFTHE MAGAZINE THROUGH CONTACT WITH THE FLAT SIDE WALLS OF THE STAPLESTRIP OPERATING TO GUIDE THE STRIP IN ITS MOVEMENT TO PREVENT WEDGING OFTHE STRIP IN THE MAGAZINE AND TO ASSURE PRESENTATION OF THE FOREMOSTSTAPLE IN THE STRIP TO THE GUIDE-WAY IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH.